To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints against the police in England and Wales, including the Metropolitan police, were completed, whether formally or informally, in each of the last four years for which figures are available; of those how many were substantiated and how many were unsubstantiated; how many were informally resolved and how many were withdrawn or not proceeded with: and of those complaints that were substantiated, how many resulted in criminal charges being brought, how many resulted in disciplinary charges being brought and how many resulted in advice being given.

Information relating to the numbers of complaints completed, and how many of these were substantiated, unsubstantiated, informally resolved and withdrawn or not proceeded with, are given in the annual reports of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, for all forces in England and Wales other than the Metropolitan police. Figures are also given in the reports in relation to complaints which resulted in criminal charges, disciplinary charges, or were dealt with by other means.The annual reports of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis show corresponding figures up to and including the year 1987. Information in relation to complaints substantiated, unsubstantiated, informally resolved and withdrawn or not proceeded with is not given in the Commissioner's reports for 1988 and 1989 owing to a change of format, and is as follows:

	1988	1989
Substantiated	184	103
Unsubstantiated	2,308	1,906
Informally resolved	1,121	1,207
Withdrawn or not proceeded with (including those where dispensations were granted by the Police Complaints Authority or which were trivial or ill-founded)	3,321	3,657
TOTAL	6,934	6,873

Copies of all these reports can be found in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list separately for each of the last four years for which figures are available the number of charges of which officers in England and Wales were convicted arising from (a) complaints and (b) other information in each of the offence groups (i) violence against the person, (ii) sexual offences, (iii) burglary, (iv) robbery, (v) theft and handling stolen goods, (vi) fraud and forgery, (vii) criminal damage, (viii) perjury, (ix) corruption, (x) other indictable offences, (xi) assault, (xii) other offences (not traffic) and (xiii) traffic offences.

Information relating to the numbers of officers convicted of criminal offences, to whether the investigation arose from a complaint or from other circumstances, and whether the charge was in respect of a traffic offence or a non-traffic offence, is published annually in the reports of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, for all forces in England and Wales other than the Metropolitan police, and of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. More detailed information on the types of offences involved is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each year since 1985 the number of complaints against the police completed in England and Wales in which racially discriminatory behaviour was alleged; how many of those were substantiated and how many were unsubstantiated; how many were informally resolved; of those that were substantiated, how many resulted in a disciplinary charge being preferred; what was the outcome of such charge; and if he will make a statement.

The available information is as follows:

Number of complaints
	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
Recorded1	83	197	180	220	202
Formally investigated	57	142	131	127	135
Substantiated	0	4	4	5	4
Unsubstantiated	57	138	127	122	131
1 Does not include complaints which were recorded but subsequently withdrawn.

Information relating to any subsequent disciplinary proceedings or to the number of complaints informally resolved is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all those authorities which maintain bodies of constables, other than police authorities, which have concluded agreements with the Police Complaints Authority for the establishment of procedures corresponding to those established by part IX of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and which he has approved, pursuant to section 96 of that Act; and if he will list separately those authorities which maintain bodies of constables which have not concluded such agreements.

Agreements under section 96 of the 1984 Act have been approved in respect of the Ministry of Defence police, the British transport police, the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority police, the Port of London Authority police and Port of Liverpool police. There are 22 other private police forces of which I am aware which do not have such agreements.The 22 forces—the list is not exhaustive—are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each year from 1985 the numbers of Metropolitan police officers who were charged with disciplinary offences following a successful civil action against the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis for a wrongful act by an officer; and, in respect of each charge, whether the offence was proved and what punishment was imposed.

This information is not kept nationally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list separately for each of the last four years for which figures are available the number of police officers in England and Wales who (a) resigned after criminal charges had been preferred against them but before such proceedings were completed, (b) resigned after disciplinary charges had been preferred against them but before such proceedings had been completed, (c) were under suspension at the time of their resignation and (d) resigned while under investigation for disciplinary matters.

Information relating to the numbers of officers who resigned after disciplinary criminal charges had been preferred against them but before the proceedings had been completed, the numbers of officers who resigned while under investigation, and the number of officers who were permitted to resign while under suspension, are given in the annual reports of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, for all forces in England and Wales other than the Metropolitan police. Equivalent information in relation to Metropolitan police officers is contained in the annual reports of the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis, except that figures relating to officers who resigned before criminal proceedings against them were completed, or while they were under investigation for criminal matters are available only up to and including the year 1987. The information for later years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letters to him dated 5 July, 7 September and 19 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Z. Saleem of 5 Argyle avenue, Manchester.

I am sorry that the right hon. Member had not had a reply to his letters. Urgent inquiries are now being made of the entry clearance officer in Islamabad about Mr. Saleem's application. My right hon. Friend will write to the right hon. Member as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letters to him dated 17 July, 7 September and 19 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. Z. Mohammed of 2 Holstone close, Manchester.

I regret that the response has been delayed and my right hon. Friend will reply to the right hon. Member in the very near future.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to provide continuing protection for seals under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970, following the expiry of the two orders laid under section 3(1) in 1988.

We have now laid before Parliament the Conservation of Seals (England) Order 1990 which provides permanent close-season protection for both common and grey seals for three years in an area stretching along the North sea coast from the border between England and Scotland to Newhaven on the south coast. This order will come into effect on 19 December, to coincide with the expiry of the orders laid in 1988.My right hon. and learned Friend the former Secretary of State for Scotland has also laid the Conservation of Seals (Common Seals) (Shetland Islands Area) Order 1990 to provide similar protection for common seals in the Shetland Islands for one year while population surveys are carried out.Both these orders have been laid following advice from the Natural Environment Research Council. The phocine distemper virus affected principally common seals in the southern part of the North sea. Because of the difficulties in identifying seals in the water, and to reduce the risk of a common seal being shot in mistake for a grey seal, the Conservation of Seals (England) Order 1990 extends to both common and grey seals.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations he has held, and from what bodies he has received representations, under section 69 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act or otherwise, in respect of new codes of practice A, B, C and D since those codes were originally published in July; and whether he intends to further modify the codes as a result of these additional consultations or representations.

Since the draft revised codes were laid before Parliament on 9 July, further representations have been received from the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Metropolitan police, the British Deaf Association, members of the Bar and several other individuals, with all of whom there had been discussions or correspondence since the original versions of the draft revised codes were published in August 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the sexual offences, distinguishing between those committed by men and women, for which the Government propose longer custodial sentences; and what is his policy in respect of imposing longer custodial sentences for non-violent sex offences.

The Government's policy, as set out in paragraph 3.13 of the White Paper "Crime Punishment and Protecting the Public" (Cm. 965 February 1990), is that the Crown court should have the power to give a sentence longer than that justified by the seriousness of the offence but within the maximum prescribed for that offence to a persistent and violent offender, if this is necessary to protect the public from serious harm.Clause 25(1) of the Criminal Justice Bill defines the sexual offences for which it is proposed that this power should be available. Excluding offences triable only on indictment, which are not subject to the provisions of clause 3 regarding the length of sentence which may he imposed, the offences covered by clause 25(1) are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of his most recent discussions with Saudi Arabia on the conditions for military intervention in Kuwait and Iraq.

King Fand reaffirmed to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in September and to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence two weeks ago Saudi Arabia's commitment to achieving unconditional Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait and the return of the legitimate Government. United Kingdom forces were the subject of a statement to the House by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 22 November.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of a speech by Mr. Sherrard Cowper-Coles, first secretary at the British embassy in Washington, to the Boston investor responsibility research centre.

The reports of the remarks by the British official at a seminar in Boston on 11 October have selected comments from a briefing which was being given to increase support in the United States for fair employment legislation in Northern Ireland. The official was not speaking from a text.I regret the offence which has been caused by these remarks. They do not reflect the views of Her Majesty's Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has yet reached agreement with the Government of Argentina for the conservation of fish stocks in the South Atlantic.

Yes: a joint statement on the conservation of fisheries in the south Atlantic ocean was agreed with the Government of Argentina on 28 November and announced by both Governments on that day. Copies of the statement have been placed in the Library of the House.The joint statement issued under the sovereignty umbrella provides for a temporary total ban on fishing from 26 December 1990 in an area defined in an annex to the statement. It also provides for co-operation between the two Governments in the conservation of fish stocks. We regard the joint statement as an important conservation measure and a welcome development in Anglo-Argentine co-operation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) how many computer runs to detect multiple share applications for British Gas shares by fuzzy matching and other computerised techniques have been carried out in each year from 1986 to 1989 and in 1990 to date;(2) what has been the estimated average cost of each computer run to detect multiple share applications for British Gas.

Work since 1987 has been carried out by the police, not by my department. Information in the form requested is not readily available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what factors determined the price for shares in the regional electricity companies.

In determining the share price the key factor was the dividend yield to be applied to pro forma dividends disclosed in the prospectus. The offer was priced having regard both to current stock market circumstances and to the fact that the price has to be robust to movements in the stock market up till the start of dealings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what consultations he had with the Association of District Councils or the Welsh Association of District Councils regarding profit-sharing arrangements for showrooms previously owned by municipal electricity undertakings and disposed of post-privatisation by the electricity distribution companies;(2) what consultations he undertook with the Association of District Councils regarding the arrangements for clawback or profit-sharing on electricity distribution company properties, previously owned by municipal electricity undertakings and disposed of for other purposes post-privatisation;(3) what representations he has received regarding clawback or profit-sharing arrangements with the appropriate local authorities for properties vested in electricity distribution companies, owned by municipal electricity companies before 1948, and disposed of for non-electricity related purposes post-privatisation.

I have not received any such representations or held such consultations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy on what date he was first approached by MCA Merchandising regarding the requirement for a licence fee relating to copyright for the advertising campaign for the flotation of the electricity distribution companies.

Her Majesty's Government have never been approached by MCA Merchandising regarding a licence fee relating to copyright for the advertising for the flotation of the distribution companies. This is a matter between MCA Merchandising and WCRS, the advertising agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what recent discussions he has had with the chairmen of National Power and PowerGen regarding the proposed dates for stock market flotation.

The details of my discussions with the chairmen of National Power and PowerGen are confidential. I intend to float both generating companies next February, subject to market conditions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, further to his answer of 22 November to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras, Official Report, column 178, if he will place in the Library a copy of the preliminary view of the Energy Action Grants Agency on the scale of insulation and advice which can be undertaken in each locality using grants under the home energy efficiency scheme.

The provision of information to organisations wishing to be registered as network installers under the home energy efficiency scheme (HEES) is a matter for the Energy Action Grants Agency (EAGA). I have today placed in the Library copies of the information sent by EAGA to all those organisations applying for registration, including the preliminary view taken by EAGA on the broad scale of insulation and advice that network installers might be able to undertake using grants under HEES.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money his Department has allocated to the National Gypsy Council in each year from 1979 to 1989.

The National Gypsy Council has received funding towards its administration costs from my Department's small grants and special grants programmes since 1978. The amounts of grant have been as follows:

	£
1978–79	6,300
1979–80	6,930
1980–81	7,600
1981–82	9,100
1982–83	12,000
1983–84	12,720
1984–85	13,300
1985–86	13,860
1986–87	14,300
1987–88	14,660
1988–89	14,953
1989–90	14,953

Grants under the special grants programme are given to assist voluntary organisations become established or to carry out specific projects. It is not the intention to provide permanent funding and grants are normally given for a maximum of three years. In the case of the National Gypsy Council, it was felt that their work was sufficiently valuable to warrant a longer period of support, but this is now being progressively withdrawn so that they have the stimulus to become more self-sufficient.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the most recent figure for local authority housing empty for over one year in England.

Local authorities report the number of their dwellings which have been empty for over one year in their annual housing investment programme returns—HIP1. The estimated total of such dwellings in England at 1 April 1990 appears in column A188 of "1990 HIP1—Regional Grossing", a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many private dwellings in England have remained empty for more than 12 months.

A recent estimate is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what regulations control the emission of diesel smoke from equipment used on building and construction sites; which agency is responsible for enforcement; and what action has been taken to control such emissions.

Part III of the Public Health Act 1936, to be replaced on 1 January 1991 by the strengthened and improved provisions in part III of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, applies to emissions which could be prejudicial to the health of or a nuisance to people in the vicinity of such equipment. Section 1 of the Clean Air Act 1968 applies to dark smoke emissions from building or construction sites. Local authorities are responsible for taking action under both measures as the need arises. The Health and Safety at Work Act., etc. 1974 and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations apply to emissions which may be hazardous to the health of workers on building or construction sites: the Health and Safety Executive is responsible for enforcement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many circulars the Housing Corporation has issued between January and September 1990; and at what cost.

The Department does not hold the information requested. I have asked the Housing Corporation to write to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to review the guidelines issued to general practitioners who sign exemption certificates in respect of the poll tax to seek to achieve greater consistency in interpretation of the current rules.

Advice was issued to general practitioners by the Department of Health and to local authorities by my Department on 2 July; there is no intention at present to issue any further advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list 20 per cent. of the community charge for each local authority;(2) if he will list the numbers exempted from paying the community charge due to severe mental impairment by each local authority in England.

I am arranging for the available information to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many pensioners have (a) ceased to be eligible for exemption from community charge as a result of SI 1990 No. 462 or (b) had to wait for receipt of attendance allowance to fulfil the conditions for exemption from community charge.

Information is held only on the numbers of people who fall within each exempt group. SI 1990/462 increased the scope of the exemption from the personal community charge for those who are severely mentally impaired by providing that the cause of that condition should be disregarded and amending the list of qualifying conditions. The inclusion of attendance allowance and constant attendance allowance for these purposes, for which entitlement continues beyond pensionable age, meant that the condition that a person should be of pensionable age was no longer required.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the reappointments of the members of the London residuary body.

The following have been reappointed to the London residuary body for the period 1 January 1991 to 31 March 1993 or until the dissolution of the body, whichever is sooner:

• Members:
• Councillor Sir Peter Bowness, CBE, DL
• J Esling
• W Mackenzie, OBE
• M C Roberts
• J Wolkind, CBE

The London residuary body has completed the bulk of its ex-GLC tasks and has already distributed £486 million in capital receipts and £184 million in revenue balances for the benefit of London's chargepayers.The reappointments reflect my right hon. Friend's confidence in the board's ability to discharge the new tasks which the residuary body assumed on 1 April 1990 on the abolition of ILEA.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce the outcome of the sale competition for the Crown Suppliers' vehicle hire business and the interdepartmental dispatch service.

Discussions are continuing on the sale of the Crown Suppliers' vehicle hire and maintenance business. An announcement will be made as soon as possible. There are no acceptable bids for the interdepartmental dispatch service, which will, therefore, be retained in government.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has received any representations about the Local Government (Promotion of Economic Development) Regulations 1990; and if he will make a statement.

The Association of District Councils and a number of individual councils have argued that it would be sufficient if local authorities that are not education authorities consulted their local education authority about the programmes of education and training that they provide for economic development purposes. We have accepted this, and the Department is consulting the local authority associations on draft regulations to replace the current requirement to obtain the consent of the local education authority to those programmes with a requirement to consult the local education authority. The draft regulations also make it clear that the new economic development power is not intended to change the rules on the disposal of land at less than the best considered reasonably obtainable.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many dwellings each local authority has sold under the right to buy legislation, or voluntarily, in each year since 1979; and what percentage of the total local authority stock they represent.

I have placed in the Library two tables giving available information on local authority sales up to June 1990. Table 1 shows year by year information for each authority during the years 1979–80 to 1985–86. Table 2 shows year by year information for each authority since 1985–86 together with cumulative figures since April 1979 and the proportion of their stock sold since April 1979.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money will be made available for the development of the two direct access hostels in Lambeth and Islington to meet long-term emergency housing needs in north and south London; and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.The Resettlement Agency is committed to completing the Camberwell replacement programme including assisting with the funding of a further two direct access hostels. As there have been no viable proposals for these hostels, none of the agency's funding has been allocated for them. Should such proposals be received they will be considered by the chief executive who will weigh them alongside the rest of the agency's replacement priorities.

To ask the Attorney-General how many vacancies there are currently in the Crown prosecution service for (a) solicitors or barristers and (b) other staff.

The Crown prosecution service currently has 377 vacancies for solicitors or barristers, with a total of 1,674 being in post. It has 21·5 vacancies for other staff, with 2,753·5 being in post.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider the installation of a pedestrian crossing on the A6 at the market square, Higham Ferrers.

A request for a pelican crossing on the A6 has been received from Higham Ferrers town council and is being considered. A decision is expected by the end of the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals British Rail has put to him for extending the electrification of the Hooton to Chester and Helsby railway line.

British Rail, together with Cheshire county council and other local councils and the Merseyside passenger transport authority, has proposed that the lines from Hooton to Chester and to Ellesmere Port should be electrified. I am examining this proposal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department's inspectors are satisfied that the vessel Cam Spirit is suitable for use as a standby vessel for North sea operations.

A standby vessel for North sea operations has to be surveyed annually if a certificate of inspection is to be issued to it under a code published by the Department. The Cam Spirit satisfied the requirements of this code when she was last surveyed by a marine surveyor in December 1989. The next survey is due in a few weeks.

To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will obtain for his office's library a copy of the recent report produced jointly by the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust and the Arts Council on provision for hard-ofhearing audiences, entitled, "Sound Off".

I have already done so. The report is a helpful survey of the provision of sound amplification equipment in London's theatres. It also explains how theatres, cinemas, museums, galleries, libraries and other arts venues can apply to the ADAPT fund. This fund is part funded by the Government and assists in making essential adaptations and providing facilities for people with disabilities.

To ask the Minister for the Arts what plans he has to encourage increased provision for sound amplification equipment in theatres, concert halls and opera houses.

My aim is for the arts to be accessible to everyone. The Government have given £150,000 to the Carnegie Trust's ADAPT fund for the improvement of facilities for disabled people in arts venues. By use of challenge grants the fund aims to encourage additional, and at least equal, financial contributions from local communities. Some of the fund has been used to assist with the installation of sound amplification equipment, and applications are invited for further projects.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of United Kingdom share capital was held by private investors in each year since 1979.

Up-to-date information on the share capital held by private individuals is not yet available. Results from December 1989 survey of share registers conducted by the Central Statistical Office are due to be published in the near future.Current estimates of the value of ordinary and preference shares held by the personal sector, which consists of individuals resident in the United Kingdom, unincorporated private businesses, sole trader and partnerships, non-profit making bodies serving persons and private trusts are as follows:

UK Ordinary and Preference Shares held by the Personal Sector
End Year	Market value of shares outstanding of which
	Total	Personal Sector	Personal Sector
	(£ billion)	(£ billion)	Percentage share
1979	83·5	29·8	35·8
1980	105·7	37·1	35·2
1981	115·6	36·7	31·7
1982	141·5	43·3	30·6
1983	178·3	52·3	29·4
1984	226·6	59·1	26·1
1985	267·2	66·5	24·9
1986	349·9	91·1	26·0
1987	395·8	117·9	29·8
1988	429·0	123·4	28·8
1989	550·0	145·9	26·5

These figures are consistent with those to be published in table 14.5 of the December issue of "Financial Statistics".

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will prosecute Charles Church Development, and Torday and Carlisle, Prowting under section 234(3) and (7) and paragraph 5 of schedule 3 to the Companies Act 1985 for failure to specify the recipients of political donations.

In accordance with its usual practice in response to specific allegations of non-compliance with statutory disclosure requirements, my Department will look into this.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he proposes to exlude from the application of United Kingdom restrictive trade practices legislation the contracts entered into between the successor companies to the Scottish electricity boards for the restructuring of the Scottish electricity industry prior to privatisation.

Scottish Power plc and Scottish Hydro-Electric plc are required by the terms of their licences to enter into certain restructuring contracts, which are designed to give the companies access to a balanced portfolio of generating assets on a long-term basis and to govern the operation of their transmission assets. The Government intend that these contracts should, in view of their fundamental importance to the restructuring of the Scottish electricity supply industry for the purpose of privatisation, be excluded from the ambit of United Kingdom restrictive trade practices legislation. Yesterday, I therefore laid before the House an order made under section 100(2) of the Electricity Act 1989, exempting the contracts from the ambit of the Restrictive Trade Practices Act 1976.For the future, the Government are proposing to introduce new legislation on restrictive trade practices, in implementation of the proposals outlined in the White Paper "Opening Markets: New Policy on Restrictive Trade Practices"—CM 727—published in July 1989. It is our intention that the exemptions granted to the Scottish restructuring contracts under current restrictive trade practices legislation should be carried forward by means of an exclusion from the proposed prohibition on restrictive agreements. The proposed legislation will be introduced when parliamentary time permits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about the Government contracts preference schemes (GCPS).

The Government contracts preference schemes, which apply in the development areas of Great Britain, and in Northern Ireland, have been little used in recent years. The schemes were introduced in the 1930s, and aim to give opportunities to businesses in those areas to secure public sector contracts if their bids are competitive. In Northern Ireland, though not in Great Britain, a price preference of 5 per cent. has been allowable for goods manufactured in the Province.In the development of a more open framework of public sector procurement rules within the Community, and in the broader approach to the single market, the Government agree with the EC Commission and other member states that it is inappropriate for public sector procurement contracts to be reserved for businesses in particular areas, even the very limited provisions of the United Kingdom's schemes.The Government have therefore decided that the contract preference schemes are to be terminated. Applications from businesses to be recorded as eligible under the schemes will not be accepted after close of business on 31 December 1990.This arrangement provides a short period of notice of termination, and is intended to minimise the effect on businesses which may have prepared, or are preparing, bids and tenders in the expectation that the schemes would be in place. It means that for prospective contracts and invitations first issued by the schemes' participating purchasing organisations on or before 31 December 1990, eligible applicants may continue to use the scheme up to the stage of tender and final contract even when the contract-placing timetables go beyond that date. However, the schemes will not apply in any respect for new prospective contracts or invitations to tender issued after 31 December 1990.Help for businesses to effectively compete for public procurement contracts is now being offered in a number of ways under European and national programmes. The EC Commission's initiative to help businesses in objective 1 regions prepare for the single market—PRISMA—will be available in Northern Ireland. The Commission is also examining the potential to use existing initiatives more effectively, such as the Euro info centre and business co-operation networks, and the tenders electronic daily system, as a means of disseminating information on public procurement contracts to smaller companies.My Department's single market campaign stresses the importance of the European public procurement market and a "Guide to Public Procurement" booklet is being issued widely. Enterprise initiative consultancy support in marketing and other business disciplines will help improve the competitiveness of firms bidding for public contracts, and more widely. Our "Managing into the 90s" programme is also promoting good purchasing practice. In addition, regional and local government development agencies, chambers of commerce and other private sector bodies are increasingly encouraging their member businesses to pay close attention to the opportunities of the public procurement market.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new businesses have been set up in Amber Valley since 1979.

I have been asked to reply.Between the end of 1979 and the end of 1989, there were an estimated 3,400 new registrations for VAT in the Amber Valley local authority district. During the same period, there were an estimated 2,700 deregistrations, giving a net increase of 700, or 29 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list all amendments and variations from the terms of the model funding agreement for city technology colleges deposited in the Library in 1989, which he now intends to include in the specific agreement to fund a Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college.

My right hon. and learned Friend expects to sign a funding agreement with the Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College Trust substantially the same in all respects as the revised model agreement placed in the Library on 31 October this year. This supersedes the version placed in the Library last Summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, whether he has received the annual report of the Natural Environment Research Council for 1989–90; and if he will make a statement.

The annual report of the Natural Environment Research Council has been submitted to my right hon. and learned Friend under the requirements of the Science and Technology Act 1965, and a copy is being laid before the House today.In the year that the Government's White Paper on the environment, "This Common Inheritance" was published, I believe that the council's report amply demonstrates the way it has been able to focus multidisciplinary research on a range of important global, regional and local environmental issues, including:

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 29 November.

This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today. This evening I shall be attending a long-standing engagement in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Altrincham and Sale (Sir. F. Montgomery.)

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to make greater use of statements to the House at 3.30 pm.

Ministers make statements when appropriate.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will discuss the ecological consequences of a military option in the Gulf with President Bush.

I have no plans to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with Saudi Arabia about military action against Iraq.

My right hon. Friend the Member for Finchley (Mrs. Thatcher) discussed the invasion of Kuwait, including the military aspects, with King Fand and other members of the Government of Saudi Arabia on a number of occasions after 2 August. My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and for Defence have had similar discussions.

To ask the Prime Minister what steps he will take to ensure that all relevant rules are followed prohibiting Government offices and civil servants from being used on behalf of any political party by Ministers in his Government; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 28 November 1990]: No special steps are necessary.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list all visits of Government Ministers or officials to Malaysia, with dates since 1979.

	Nursery	Infant	Junior	Primary	Secondary	Total
1979	—	4	1	4	2	11
1980	—	5	6	8	3	22
1981	5	17	13	9	—	44
1982	—	13	11	6	5	35
1983	—	14	12	9	7	42
1984	4	14	13	3	2	36
1985	2	7	5	18	—	32
1986	—	1	3	12	15	21
1987	1	3	4	10	6	24
1988	2	3	2	8	3	18
1989	1	6	4	8	2	21
21990	1	8	6	4	1	20
TOTAL	16	95	80	99	36
1 Includes 3 county junior comprehensive schools and 1 county senior comprehensive school.
2 To date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether local authorities in Gwynedd, Dyfed and Powys have adequate matching resources to enable them to take up fully the funds available from the European Community under the IOP for those three counties; and if he will make a statement.

Expected receipts from the European Community are taken into account when setting the level of public expenditure, so that spending is higher than would otherwise be the case. Local authorities within the area of the Dyfed, Gwynedd and Powys national programme of community interest benefit from increased credit approvals and reduced borrowing requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many persons are currently employed in the roads division of the Welsh Office; and what was the corresponding number in 1979.

At 1 October 1990, a total of 160·5 staff—excluding central support services staff—were employed in the Welsh Office transport and highways divisions. At 30 September 1979 the equivalent figure was 156·5.

[pursuant to the reply, 19 November 1990, c. 3–4.]:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many schools in Wales have been closed since 1979, by year and age group.

The information is shown in the following table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place a copy in the Library of his Department's policy guidelines in relation to the use of the Welsh language in Wales by his Department.

Current policy regarding the use of Welsh in the internal administration of the department is based on the guidelines set out in the Hughes Parry report on the status of the Welsh language. This policy is currently being reviewed in the light of the guidelines prepared by the Welsh Language Board. I will place a copy of any new guidelines in the Library of the House once they have been finalised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give details of the total Government expenditure on the promotion and development of the Welsh language in each year since 1985.

Since 1984–85, Government grants for the Welsh language made under section 21 of the Education Act 1980 and under section 26 of the Development of Rural Wales Act 1976 have been:

Year	Section 21 (local education authorities)	Section 21 (other bodies)	Section 26	Total
	£	£	£	£
1984–85	626,164	378,537	982,124	1,986,825
1985–86	945,657	372,000	1,103,850	2,421,507
1986–87	989,165	458,890	1,079,700	2,527,755

Year	Section 21 (local education authorities)	Section 21 (other bodies)	Section 26	Total
	£	£	£	£
1987–88	1,075,000	592,025	1,156,163	2,823,188
1988–89	1,118,895	874,956	1,352,136	3,345,987
1989–90	1,320,000	1,348,061	1,639,425	4,307,486
11990–91	1,503,000	2,022,000	2,345,000	5,870,000
Total	7,577,881	6,046,469	9,658,398	23,282,748

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he is undertaking any initiatives to extend the geographical availability of care and repair schemes in Wales.

We are currently considering the future funding of Care and Repair (Wales) which will have responsibility for the further development of new schemes in Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will set up an independent environmental audit of all licensed waste disposal sites in Wales.

No. My right hon. Friend will receive from Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution regular reports of audits of each of the waste regulation authorities' operations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information his Department holds on successful medical negligence claims made against health authorities in Wales.

The legal division of the Welsh Office acts for district health authorities in Wales in relation to medical negligence claims and therefore holds relevant files. Information held by that division is subject to the usual rules of solicitor-client confidentiality. The Department also holds financial information relating to the settlement of any individual claims in excess of £30,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report, for the latest available date, the number of schools that have applied for grant-maintained status in Wales, separately distinguishing primary and secondary schools.

Two schools in Wales have applied for grant-maintained status. Both are secondary schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what statutory responsibilities health authorities in Wales have for dealing with an outbreak of food-related disease in the human population.

The specific statutory responsibilities duties and powers which are significant in the handling of a food poisoning outbreak are placed upon local authorities. However, Welsh Office guidance to local authorities ask district councils to ensure that they appoint, as proper officer for the discharge of functions relating to the control of outbreaks of food poisoning, a consultant in communicable disease control of the district health authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 21 November, if he will place a copy of his letter to Roy Stoner, his groundwater consultant on the Cardiff bay barrage, and the subsequent correspondence with the chairman of the Cardiff Bay development corporation in the Library.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy on the use of education vouchers in the schools service in Wales.

The Government's current policies for education—in particular more open enrolment and funding following pupil numbers through local management of schools—are already securing many of the objectives of vouchers. These policies extend choice and reward good schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the amount of Government money given to the private schools sectors in Wales, school by school, in each year since 1979.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave him on 8 May 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which private schools in Wales he has visited.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the truancy figures for each of the local education authorities in Wales for each year since 1979.

The information requested is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he proposes to increase local education authority funding to enable local education authority cuts in nursery school provision to be restored.

The responsibility for nursery school provision lies with local education authorities. They must determine the level of provision in line with their assessment of priorities within the education service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many city technology colleges there are in Wales; how many are proposed; and if he will make a statement.

None. I am ready to consider any proposals put forward to establish a college.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give details of the total Government expenditure on the upkeep, care and protection of historic buildings and monuments in Wales in each year since 1980.

Expenditure by the Government on historic buildings and monuments in Wales, excluding presentation activities and departmental running costs for Cadw and its predecessors during the years 1980–81 to 1989–90 was as follows.

	£'000
1980–81	1,711
1981–82	2,119
1982–83	2,052
1983–84	2,663
1984–85	3,501
1985–86	3,557
1986–87	3,621
1987–88	4,075
1988–89	4,043
1989–90	5,090

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what body will be responsible for procuring health services in Pembrokeshire in the event that he approves the reconstitution of the Pembrokeshire health authority as a national health service trust.

This matter will be considered in the light of my right hon. Friend's decision on any formal application for NHS trust status that might be forthcoming.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many jobs in manufacturing in Wales have been lost since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave him on 28 November 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements he is making for informing Welsh local authorities of their standard spending assessments.

My officials have today written to Welsh authorities, advising them of their provisional SSAs. I am placing copies of that letter in the Vote Office and in the Library of the House. Final figures will be contained in the distribution report which will be laid before the House shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the increase in the national farm wages bill if the requirement to provide income for workers who are sick is shifted from the state to employers.

Under the proposals in the Statutory Sick Pay Bill, which received its Third Reading on 28 November, the amount of statutory sick pay—SSP—which employers can recover from their remittances of national insurance contributions will be set at 80 per cent. instead of 100 per cent. Also, the additional amount—currently 7 per cent.—which employers can get back as compensation for the national insurance contributions payable on SSP itself will end. Subject to parliamentary approval, these changes will operate from 6 April 1991.My right hon. Friend has also announced reductions in national insurance contributions worth some £250 million to employers to operate from the same date. Although the reductions will apply over the whole range of employers' contributions, they have been particularly weighted towards those employers whose employees are not highly paid.From April 1991 all the lower rates of contribution payable by employers in respect of employees earning up to £185 per week will be reduced by 0·4 per cent. This will be of particular help to employers of agricultural workers, many of whom earn less than £185 per week.The precise effect of the combined SSP-national insurance contributions package on the national farm wages bill will depend on the sickness experience and pay levels of the work force, but the contributions reductions that I outlined will go a long way towards reducing any extra costs for employers on SSP and in some cases will completely offset this.Bearing in mind the contribution reductions explained above and the fact that most spells of SSP are over very quickly—the average spell is three weeks and 90 per cent. are over within eight weeks—the extra costs for employers, particularly small employers, are not expected to be significant.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to publish the 1990 edition of the tax benefit model tables.

Copies will be placed in the Library today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to the statement made by the Lord President of the Council concerning expenditure on residential and nursing care, Official Report, 22 November, column 510, if he will tabulate the total expenditure in this field for the years 1979 and 1989, respectively, together with the breakdown into principal categories of cost, separating capital and revenue expenditure, and distinguishing moneys actually received by sponsoring bodies and other Government expenditure.

The available information is shown in the table:

Numbers and Expenditure—All income support claimants in Residential Care and Nursing Homes
Date	Numbers of claimants (thousands)	Annual equivalent expenditure1(nearest £ million)
December 1979	12	10
December 1980	13	18
December 1981	13	23

Date	Numbers of claimants (thousands)	Annual equivalent expenditure1(nearest £ million)
December 1982	16	39
December 1983	26	104
December 1984	42	200
December 1985	70	348
February 1986	90	459
May 1987	117	671
May 1988	147	878
May 1989	176	1,105
May 1990	189	1,270
1 Total weekly expenditure of supplementary benefit/income support expressed as an annual figure.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security further to his oral answer of 19 November, Official Report, column 5, about the percentage of mothers who voluntarily give information about the father, whether this refers to lone parents or single mothers who are lone parents and whether he was referring to general information which would enable his Department to pursue an absent father for maintenance.

The figure—about 75 per cent.—is based on information currently available from local offices about income support cases where the child's parents have never been married to each other. Obtaining the name of the father is the first step in pursuing maintenance in these cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many hospital patients are (a) exempted from community charge or (b) receiving community charge benefits.

The estimated numbers of hospital patients exempt from community charge in England and Wales are in the table.

	England	Wales
Persons whose sole or main residence is an NHS hospital or NHS nursing home	42,000	3,800
Persons whose sole or main residence is a
Residential care home
Nursing home
Mental nursing home
Private hospital
Hostel providing a substantial level of care, and also being treated or cared for in such an institution.	321,000	23,800
Total	363,000	27,600

The information for Scotland is not available.Information on the number of hospital patients receiving community charge benefit is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of the cost to Mid-Devon district council of administering community charge benefit will be reimbursed in 1990–91; and what proportion of that cost will be reimbursed in his Department's plans for 1991–92 and each of the ensuing three years.

The Department directly reimburses 50 per cent. of local authorities' estimated administrative needs through a cash-limited specific grant; the remaining 50 per cent. is taken into account in the local authority finance settlements. The specific grant is distributed between authorities according to a formula agreed with local authority representatives. In 1990–91, Mid-Devon's share of the specific grant was £48,538; this includes the additional money for the work arising from the capital limit changes announced in the budget. Although next year's overall totals have been announced, the distributional formula has yet to be decided. The arrangements for future years will be kept under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his policy on the deduction of fines from income support at source.

The Criminal Justice Bill now before the House includes provision for repayment of fines by weekly deduction from income support in suitable cases. The regulations, which are intended to provide the detailed conditions, would maintain the existing maximum overall limit on the amount that can be deducted for debts, including fines. This provides a safeguard against too many deductions being made from benefit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish tables using the assumptions used in his answer to the hon. Member for Coventry, South-East (Mr. Nellist) on 19 February, Official Report, columns 560–64, but using expenditure and benefit figures appropriate for families in Great Britain, together with a column showing the extent of the differences resulting from the April 1988 social security changes.

The tax-benefit model tables which show the financial position of hypothetical local authority tenants with the head in full-time work or unemployed in April and October 1990 are available in the Library.The passage of time, and subsequent changes in the benefit system, have rendered increasingly meaningless any attempt to make hypothetical comparisons between what people get now and what they might have got under a system which was almost universally recognised as being riddled with anomalies and failing to target help sensibly. With this in mind, the Government no longer publish tables making such comparisons.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received concerning the provision of staff cover at Addenbrooke's hospital, Cambridge, on the afternoon of Thursday, 29 November, when 150 resident nurses and student nurses are due to appear at Cambridge city magistrates court.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what information he has on the prices charged to prospective adoptive couples for home studies by (a) Surrey social services and (b) Suffolk social services, in respect of inter-country adoptions;(2) what advice has been issued by his Department to social services departments on pricing policies for charges for home study visits in respect of inter-country adoptions.

The level of such charges is a matter for local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health further to his statement of 4 January, if he will now make a statement about the wider use of the titanium implant technique to prosthesis ears.

I announced central funding for a cochlear implant programme on 25 June including additional funds for Queen Elizabeth hospital, Birmingham to assist with a programme of NHS provision of bone implanted hearing aids using titanium screws. The pace at which wider use is made of titanium implant techniques is a matter for health authorities to determine in the light of their assessment of local needs, priorities and resources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will be able to make a statement further to that which he made on 4 January, regarding the establishment of a central fund to finance a cochlear implant programme.

I announced the names of the six hospitals selected to receive central funding for their cochlear implant programmes on 25 June. They are:

Region and Unit	Funding 1990–91 £
North East Thames
University College/Royal Ear Hospitals	200,000
Northern
North Riding Infirmary, Middlesbrough	150,000
North Western
Manchester Royal Infirmary	160,000
Trent
Nottingham General Hospital	160,000
Wessex
South Hants Hospital, Southampton	150,000
West Midlands
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham	150,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects his Department will complete its evaluation of air ambulance services; and when he expects the report will be published.

The evaluation of the Royal London helicopter emergency medical service and the Cornwall first air ambulance service is due to begin early in 1991. The report is expected in autumn 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice his Department gives to health authorities on patients suffering from headache, depression, miscarriage, cancer or leukaemia, who are living in the close proximity of high-voltage power lines; and if he will make a statement.

The National Radiological Protection Board has a statutory duty to advise Government and others on possible hazards to health from all forms of radiation, including non-ionising radiation. Its most recent advice is contained in "Guidance on Exposure to Time-Varying Electromagnetic Fields"—(NRPB-GS11, 1989)—a copy of which is in the Library. This does not advocate any special precautions for people living close to high-voltage power lines. The board has recently undertaken an extensive review of the evidence on possible health consequences of exposure to electromagnetic fields. This will be published shortly and will form the basis of any revision to the guidance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish in the Official Report a list of the titles, together with a note summarising their purpose, of the reports which his Department receives on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis from both district and general health authorities.

[holding answer 14 November 1990]: The Department receives around 100 different regular statistical returns from district and regional health authorities, mostly at the district level. A list of the statistical and financial returns required for 1987–88 and 1988–89 is available in the Library. I will arrange for an updated list for 1989–90 to be placed in the Library shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will update the information in his reply of 24 July 1989, Official Report, columns 481–82, concerning the change in civilian employment since 1979 in the United Kingdom and European Community Twelve.

Employment estimates are not yet available for many EC countries after 1988. The changes in total civilian employment for the United Kingdom and the EC as a whole between 1979 and 1988 are shown in the table.

Changes in Civilian Employment: 1979 to 1988
	Thousands	Per cent.
United Kingdom	525	+2·1
EC12	4,546	+3·7

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will arrange for the hon. Member for Oldham, West to receive copies of all the answers to parliamentary questions given by the chief executive of the Employment Agency on matters related to the unemployment benefit service.

The arrangements in the Employment Service executive agency for answering parliamentary questions and Members' correspondence are intended to ensure that, following "next steps" principles, hon. and right hon. Members receive replies from the person who is best placed to respond promptly and effectively. If the reply is from the chief executive, it is sent direct to the Member and is copied to the Library of the House and to its Public Information Office. The reply will thus be in the public domain and is available on request.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he is now in a position to make proposals about allocations from the European social fund for 1990.

My Department indicated in May this year the overall amounts of money likely to be available to the main groups of organisations involved in the European social fund in 1990. The individual organisations subsequently submitted project applications requesting more precise allocations of ESF assistance for 1990. These applications are currently being examined by my Department for approval. Some actual payments have already been made, and it is hoped to complete this process by January.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the amount allocated by his Department to training and enterprise councils for work-related further education for the coming year and the current year; what was the equivalent for each of the past five years; what steps he has taken to ensure that in future this money will be ring-fenced; and whether such ring fencing will continue for the foreseeable future.

As announced, training and enterprise councils will assume responsibility from 1 April 1991 for payment of funds under my Department's work-related further education programme. A total of £105 million will be allocated to TECs for this in 1991–92. This money is earmarked for the local education authority further education service. In 1991–92 each LEA will receive the same amount of WRFE money as it would have done if my Department had continued to operate the arrangements.The total expenditure year by year on the work-related further education programme by the Employment Department is as follows:

	£ million
1986–87	110
1987–88	106
1988–89	110
1989–90	102
1990–91	103

Arrangements for the funding of WRFE in future years will be the subject of agreement between the Secretary of State for Education and Science, the Secretary of State for Wales and myself.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the investigation into the murder of Mr. Gerard Slane to be concluded; and if he will make a statement.

This is a matter for the Chief Constable of the RUC. However, I understand that police investigations are continuing into the murder of Mr. Slane.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many civil servants are currently employed (a) full time and (b) part time by his Department on civil defence; what the total costs of employing staff on civil defence duties were in 1989–90; what the total costs of employing staff on civil defence duties are expected to be in 1990–91; and whether he has any plans for these staff to be transferred to work on other duties.

The information requested is as follows:

	Number
Full-time staff employed on 16 November 1990	4
Part-time staff employed on 16 November 1990	5

	£
Total cost 1989–90	140,650
Estimated total cost 1990–91	147,000

My right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary announced on 16 October that he had initiated a review of the options for the future of civil defence arrangements in England and Wales in the light of east-west relations. When the outcome of that review is known the implications for Northern Ireland, including staffing levels, will be considered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if Kilroot II power station is to be coal fired; and if he will make a statement.

Final decisions have yet to be taken on the form in which Kilroot II will be completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the employment consequences to the existing and future work force employed directly in the power generation industry in Northern Ireland at Kilroot II if (a) it is coal fired or (b) other forms of generation are used; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the effect Kilroot II power station will have on transport jobs in Northern Ireland if it is not coal fired; and if he will make a statement.

The main objective in planning future capacity is to secure the most economic and efficient means of supply and this will he the primary consideration influencing decisions on the form of Kilroot II. Employment levels at the station will be taken into account in that context. The type of fuel to be used is unlikely to have any implications for jobs in the transport industry in Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his latest estimate of casualties in the event of war in the Gulf; and what medical treatment arrangements have been made.

The number of casualties which might result from any military action could vary considerably depending on a wide range of factors. Contingency plans for the treatment and evacuation of casualties in the event of hostilities continue to be developed. Two field hospitals and other support facilities have already been deployed to the Gulf, and further facilities will be deployed with 1st armoured division.